Cheddar Cups with Fresh Tomato Relish & Crispy Pancetta

By: Marilyn Bentz-Crowley

These crispy cups are shaped in mini-muffin pans. Use orange cheddar to add a golden hue. While vodka may seem unusual, it releases alcohol-soluble flavours and most importantly, does not toughen cheese dough.

Cups

¼ cup (50 mL) butter, softened
1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
2 cups (500 mL) grated cheddar, at room temperature
¾ cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt ¼ tsp (1 mL) cayenne
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 25 mL) vodka

Tomato Relish

1½ cups (375 mL) seeded and diced plum tomatoes
1 large green onion, finely sliced
3 to 4 tbsp (45 to 60 mL) finely chopped fresh basil or parsley
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
¾ tsp (4 mL) red-wine vinegar
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
Several grindings of black pepper

8 oz (250 g) pancetta or regular bacon, cooked and coarsely crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Coat mini-muffin cups with nonstick spray. Using electric beaters, briefly beat butter with mustard; then add cheese. Beat until well combined and only small bits of cheese are still visible. Stir flour with salt and cayenne; stir into cheese mixture. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) vodka; stir until dough forms. Dough has cookie-like texture; if too dry, add another tbsp (15 mL) of vodka.

2. Gather dough into a log about 12 inches (30 cm) long. Cut in half lengthwise; then cut each half into quarters. Cut each quarter into 3 pieces ending up with 24 equal pieces of dough. Using your hands, shape each piece of dough into a cup-like shape. Fit into muffin-cups, pressing to evenly fill each cup right to top.

3. Bake in oven centre for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack before turning out. If cheese cups stick, turn pan up-side down over rack; hold slightly above rack and lightly rap bottom of each muffin cup with back of a spoon until released. (Cheese cups can be made ahead and stored airtight at room temperature for several days or frozen for a month.)

4. To make relish, toss tomatoes with green onion and basil in a small bowl. Stir olive oil with vinegar, salt and pepper; add to tomato mixture. Gently stir to combine. (Mixture can sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, but loses flavour if refrigerated.)

5. When ready to serve, return cheddar cups on a metal tray to preheated 325°F (160°C) oven for 5 minutes to crisp. Cool slightly; then fill each with a spoonful of tomato mixture. Top with bacon bits, giving each cup a slight pat to firm up filling. Serve right away.

Makes 24 nibbles

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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

By: Lucy Waverman

This recipe would also make great muffins.

3 cups (750 mL) flour
3 cups (750 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking soda
1 tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon
1½ cups (375 mL) corn oil or canola
4 eggs
1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) puréed cooked carrots
¾ cup (175 mL) grated carrots

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz (250 g) cream cheese at room temperature
6 tbsp (90 mL) unsalted butter
3 cups (750 mL) icing sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
Juice of half a lemon (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. Grease two 9-inch (1.5-L) square or round pans.

3. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add oil, eggs and vanilla and beat well with an electric mixer. Fold in puréed carrots and grated carrots.

4. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until edges have pulled away from the sides. Let cool for 3 hours before icing.

5. To make cream cheese frosting, cream together cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. Slowly add icing sugar and beat until smooth. Mix together, vanilla and lemon juice and add just enough for the frosting to be of spreading consistency. Smooth frosting over sides of cake.

Makes 2 small or one 2-layer cake

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Caramelized Onion Phyllo Tarts

By: Julia Aitken

These rich, appetizer-size tarts make elegant canapés or, when served alongside a green salad, a pretty summer sit-down appetizer for four or six people. Refrigerating the tarts makes the pastry soggy, so store them at room temperature and serve within a couple of hours of baking. Use a mini-muffin pan with cups that hold 2 to 3 tbsp (25 to 45 mL).

Filling

1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1⁄4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream

Phyllo Tart Shells

2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
2 tbsp (25 mL) finely grated
Parmesan cheese
1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
1⁄4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground
black pepper
2 sheets (each 13 x 13 inches/
33 x 33 cm) frozen phyllo pastry, thawed

1. For filling, heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sugar and salt; cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes until onions start to release some of their moisture.

2. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes until onions are very tender, browned and sticky. Remove skillet from heat; stir in balsamic vinegar. Taste and add pepper and more salt if necessary. Let cool completely.

3. With a fork, beat eggs and cream into onions until well combined; set aside.

4. For phyllo tart shells, clarify butter by melting it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Carefully skim off any scum, then pour butter into a small bowl, leaving any milky residue behind in saucepan.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

6. In a separate small bowl, stir together Parmesan cheese, thyme and pepper.

7. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on work surface; brush with half the clarified butter. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan mixture. Lay second sheet of phyllo over first; brush with remaining butter. Cut stacked phyllo into 12 even-size rectangles.

8. Carefully fit 1 phyllo rectangle into each of 12 cups of a lightly buttered mini-muffin pan. Spoon onion filling into phyllo tart shells, filling each generously. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until pastry is golden and crisp and filling is bubbly. Let tarts cool in pan for 5 minutes; remove tarts and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 tarts

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